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Contracts or no contracts ?

M

mleach

When it comes to contracts between the jocks and the radio ( or even TV ) station, are they mainly used in the big markets or are they commonplace in small markets as well?

Of all the radio stations I had worked at over the years ( 5 different markets 9 different stations ) only two of them had me sign a contract and looking back at that contract as I can recall pretty much wasn't any different than the contract my wife had to sign when she worked at Kohls Department Store such as saying how much your salary will be and that employment with them is "at will" meaning they "could" fire you at anytime and for any reason.

With that being said since employment in most states is "at will" and most radio stations are not union, whats the purpose of having a jock sign a contract anyway?
 
mleach said:
When it comes to contracts between the jocks and the radio ( or even TV ) station, are they mainly used in the big markets or are they commonplace in small markets as well?

Of all the radio stations I had worked at over the years ( 5 different markets 9 different stations ) only two of them had me sign a contract and looking back at that contract as I can recall pretty much wasn't any different than the contract my wife had to sign when she worked at Kohls Department Store such as saying how much your salary will be and that employment with them is "at will" meaning they "could" fire you at anytime and for any reason.

With that being said since employment in most states is "at will" and most radio stations are not union, whats the purpose of having a jock sign a contract anyway?
Click to expand...

The reason of wanting you to sign your soul away is intimidation. In many states, a non-compete isn't worth the paper its written on. However an a$$hole owner/manager will make your life miserable if you try to find another job in the area covered by the non-compete.

Please, have an attorney look over any covenant before you sign, even at the chagrin of the a$$hole owner/manager. You might be able to trade an on-hold message for his brief time to look over the paperwork.
 
That is good advice about having an attorney present.

And true about the a-hole manager/owner part too, even though I am sure there are still lots of those out there it is actually pretty tough to give "bad references" and the like today to prevent another compnay from hiring you. Last year in the last market I worked at there was a rather ugly incident involving that. A part-timer had an interview for a gig in Columbus, Ohio ( a city some 500+ miles away ). They called the guy's PD for a reference only to have the PD go on about every single detail about this guy's personal life ( much of it had nothing to do with radio at all ). Can we say..jealous ! ! Well the Ohio station not only hired him anyway but told the PD to ..well "go to hell". The Ohio station told the guy everything what was said and the former part-timer sued his old station and won.

Today in my old market as a result of this, the program directors are no longer allowed to give references..only the GM can do that and its pretty much generic as in "the facts' such as dates of employment and whether or not he/she could be rehired and thats it..nothing else.
 
mleach said:
That is good advice about having an attorney present.

And true about the a-hole manager/owner part too, even though I am sure there are still lots of those out there it is actually pretty tough to give "bad references" and the like today to prevent another compnay from hiring you. Last year in the last market I worked at there was a rather ugly incident involving that. A part-timer had an interview for a gig in Columbus, Ohio ( a city some 500+ miles away ). They called the guy's PD for a reference only to have the PD go on about every single detail about this guy's personal life ( much of it had nothing to do with radio at all ). Can we say..jealous ! ! Well the Ohio station not only hired him anyway but told the PD to ..well "go to hell". The Ohio station told the guy everything what was said and the former part-timer sued his old station and won.

Today in my old market as a result of this, the program directors are no longer allowed to give references..only the GM can do that and its pretty much generic as in "the facts' such as dates of employment and whether or not he/she could be rehired and thats it..nothing else.
Click to expand...
That is how it is almost every other business as is well. When you are called for a reference you should only give the facts.
The dates of employment, and whether the individual is eligible for re-hire with the company. I have also seen cases were inappropriate
things were said about an individual and that person filed suit and won.

The most important thing here is, like posted above, never sign a work contract of any kind(especially) in radio without having
the contract scrutinized by a lawyer or someone with great legal knowledge.
 
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